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Hamster Models

Historical interest in hamsters

Although one of the
less commonly
known model systems, laboratory
hamsters have been used for decades as a
model for biomedical research for a variety of topics. Syrian golden
hamsters, Cricetus auratus, became available to researchers in the 1940s, and
were quickly adopted because of their favorable
characteristics for a number of research avenues. Chinese hamsters, Cricetus
griseus, is another species
used for this work.

In the 1970s it was observed that treating hamsters
with a certain compound created a reproducible
model that resembled the progression of
human pancreatic cancer. Further studies
have confirmed that this system replicates the human
tumor biology more effectively than other animal
models, and it continues to provide insights today.

Hamsters as a laboratory model system

Hamsters also provide a
well-characterized model
of oral carcinogenesis.
The cheek pouch of hamsters can be treated with a carcinogenic compound,
and the outcome mimics the development of human oral squamous cell
carcinoma
very effectively. Studies involving the tumor-inducing SV40
virus have been pursued in hamsters, and those studies
continue to yield insights and potentially useful models of various
lymphomas.

Another strategy developed using hamsters has utility
in hamster models and beyond. The Greene melanoma model
consists of cell cultures derived originally from hamsters
that can be transplanted to various tissues and organs in hamsters and
other
animals. This represents a way to study
malignant melanoma that has yielded insights to disease mechanisms and
treatments.

Progress in understanding the mechanisms and potential
therapeutics for these cancers may come from the hamster models.
Additional benefits would be provided by
hamster genomics projects and development of transgenic strategies.